


Tony's Story

by Reader88



Series: The Utopian Knights [15]
Category: City of God, School of Rock (2003)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-10 23:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2043561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reader88/pseuds/Reader88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Garcia is a Brazilian boy growing up in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mute since birth, Tony communicates through his saxophone. He's given a chance to take his skill to the next level when he and his mother move to Chicago, Illinois.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I imagine Tony Garcia looks like Alexis Cruz. He guest starred on an episode of "The Cosby Show" called "Mr. Quiet" when he was a child.

Rio de Janeiro is a beautiful city located on the east coast of Brazil. Surrounded by rainforest it contains many tourist attractions such as beaches, world-class hotels, and the statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain. The city also boasts large carnival celebrations and lively music, which includes bossa nova and samba. However, the city is also divided by the different classes. The upper-class live in fancy mansions with large pools, fancy cars, and servants that wait on them hand and foot. Their children attend the best schools to receive the best education possible. The middle-class live in medium-sized houses with access to electricity, running water, and gas. The working-class live in the favelas of the city. The favelas are like cities within a city with residents who work dead end jobs that pay less than a dollar a day. Even children are forced to work to help support their families so some don't even attend school.

This was the world that Antonio Garcia was born into on June 2nd, 1979. He was raised by his single mother, Rosario Garcia. Rosario had had a relationship with a young man named Rico who was a gangster. Shortly after Rosario became pregnant with Tony she told Rico but he didn't want anything to do with her. Rico was later arrested for drug trafficking and was sent to jail, leaving Rosario to raise her son by herself. Rosario worked six days a week at a soda factory. The hours were long and the pay was terrible. As a result, Tony was forced to work by doing odd jobs around the city. He would sweep streets, wash windows, and shine shoes. Sometimes he would travel on a truck with other children to rural areas so that he could help harvest cashews, sugarcane, pineapples, and tobacco. His favorite mode of work was shoe shining and he always carried a shoeshine kit with him at all times. There were plenty of child laborers, not just in Rio, but in all of Brazil. However, this part of Tony's life wasn't what caused him the most trouble.

When Tony was three years old he still hadn't said his first word. His mother saved up her money to take him to a doctor. After x-rays and several other examinations the doctor confirmed that Tony's vocal chords abducted so that he could breathe but they didn't adduct so that he could speak and that he would most likely be mute for the rest of his life. Rosario was worried about how her son would communicate with others and make friends. Even though Tony didn't go to school and his mother didn't possess any formal education, she still tutored him. The official language of Brazil is Portuguese since Portugal colonized it back in 1500 but Brazil gained independence in 1822. Other minor languages include Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, and English. Since Rosario was fluent in Portuguese and English, she taught her son and he became bilingual. By the time he was six Tony could read, write, and understand Portuguese and English at an elementary school level. However, Tony was very lonely because he had no friends. The other kids teased him because they thought he was stupid as a result of his muteness. When Tony and his mother went to Mass twice a week at the Catholic church he asked God to give him a voice.

The one person who helped him find his voice was an old Brazilian samba musician named Armando Basurto. Armando played the saxophone in a samba band and his band helped create musical parties in the favelas during the Brazilian carnival. Samba is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil. The modern samba emerged at the beginning of the 20th century and was traditionally played with strings and various percussion instruments such as the tamborim. Thanks to the influence of American orchestras and the cultural impact of US music during the post-war period, samba began to incorporate other instruments including guitars, keyboards, flutes, clarinets, trumpets, trombones, and saxophones. Armando befriended Tony, gave him an alto saxophone, and started to teach Tony the saxophone when he was only three. By the age of six Tony had become very skilled on the saxophone. With more practice he might even play at the Brazilian Carnival. But fate had other plans...


	2. Chapter 2

Life in the favelas was tough. There was electricity, but Rio experienced several blackouts so it was common for the favelas to be pitch black during the night. There was also running water but sometimes the pipes got blocked. Several children had to work to support their families so they didn't attend school. As a result, illiteracy was high. Several teenagers were enticed into vicious youth gangs who passed their time by vandalizing buildings, committing extortion, and even murdering rival gang members. Rosario always instructed her son to be home before dark. Only an idiot stays out on the streets after dark. The police didn't do much to reduce the crime rate as there was corruption in the justice system. Death from malnutrition, malaria, cholera, and other diseases and health disorders was common.

Brazil also had plenty of problems with the government after it achieved independence from Portugal. The First Brazilian Republic was from 1889 to 1930. The "early republican government was little more than a military dictatorship, with army dominating affairs both at Rio de Janeiro and in the states. Freedom of the press disappeared and elections were controlled by those in power." The República Velha ended in 1930 with a military coup that installed Getúlio Vargas as dictator. The Vargas Era lasted from 1930 to 1945 under the leadership of Getúlio Dornelles Vargas. The Second Brazilian Republic lasted from 1946 to 1964 and was marked by political instability. Then the Brazilian military government ruled Brazil from March 31, 1964 to March 15, 1985. It began with the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état of March 31, 1964 and culminated in the overthrow of President João Goulart by the Armed Forces, supported by the United States on April 1, 1964. In January 1985 the process of negotiated transition towards democracy reached its climax with the election of Tancredo Neves of the PMDB party as the first civilian president since 1964. However, José Sarney was inaugurated as vice president since Neves was ill on the night of his inauguration. Sarney worked as acting president until Tancredo Neves died on April 21, 1985, without having ever taken the oath of office, whereupon Sarney succeeded to the presidency. But life still wasn't easy in Brazil.

One way that Tony found solace in his difficult life was through God. Tony and his mother were devout Catholics and a statue of Christ the Redeemer could be seen at the top of Corcovado Mountain in the Tijuca National Park. The statue overlooks the city of Rio and has become a symbol of Brazilian Christianity and an icon for Rio and Brazil. Sometimes Rosario would take her son to the beach for some fun in the sun. They would build sandcastles and swim in the sea. Another time Rosario took Tony on an Amazon River tour of the rainforest. The forest was unbelievably beautiful and they saw several animals, such as jaguars, anteaters, toucans, and boa constrictors. Experiences like this made life in Brazil tolerable.

But crime in the slums wasn't waning and the political situation wasn't getting any better, either. Rosario then decided that in order to improve her and Tony's lives they had to immigrate to a country with better opportunities. One day Rosario told her son, "Tony, I've made a tough decision. In a while we'll be moving to the United States of America. There we'll have better opportunities. I'll have a much better job that can support the both of us and you can attend school and get an education. You can't survive in this world without a good education." Tony listened silently and didn't respond.

For the next while Rosario made all the arrangements for their move while Tony struggled to say good-bye to Rio. He was mute so how exactly could he say good-bye? Tony visited the beaches, the forests, and the samba musicians. Tony wrote down on a piece of paper to explain to Armando that he and his mother were leaving. Armando said, "That's tough, little guy. But the USA is famous for its entertainment. You'll be able to cultivate your talent to the next level. Do you know where you're moving to?" Tony shook his head no so Armando replied, "Find out and I'll let you know if that city has a vibrant music scene."

Tony found out from his mother that they were moving to an apartment in West Side Chicago. When Tony wrote down the name of the city for Armando his teacher informed him, "Chicago is famous for its music scene. Chicago had great jazz bands in the thirties and forties. I guarantee that Chicago is the city for you."

By July 1986, Rosario had made all the arrangements, packed their bags, and got a friend to drive them in his truck to Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport. The airport was located twenty kilometres north of downtown Rio. They checked in, waited for their boarding call, and then got seated on the plane that would take them to the United States of America.


	3. Chapter 3

As the plane took off Tony saw a bird's eye view of his city and couldn't help but see how beautiful the city was. Tony thought,  _Good-bye, Rio. Hello, Chicago._ The flight took 13 hours and 20 minutes. When they landed they had to wait awhile until they could leave the plane. They soon got off the plane slowly and Tony and his mom went through the airport. They went through US Customs to officially register as new immigrants to the United States.

After picking up their luggage at the baggage claim they hailed a taxi. The driver helped load their suitcases into the boot of the car and asked, "Where will you two be headed?"

Rosario replied, "Humboldt Park, West Side Chicago." She gave him the address and they were soon driving through the streets of Chicago. The only motor vehicles Tony had been on before were the trucks that drove children to and from rural farms during the harvest.

Tony thought,  _This city is HUGE! I thought only Rio had tall skyscrapers. These Chicago skyscrapers are even taller than the ones in Rio._

Soon the taxi driver dropped them off in a neighborhood called Humboldt Park that reminded Tony of their old favela. Crumbling buildings, graffiti on the walls, and kids dressed in gang colors. Rosario checked in at the front desk for their new apartment. The lady at the desk said, "Your apartment is on level five. Enjoy your new home." Their apartment was around the same size as their old home in the favelas of Rio. There was a small living room, a kitchen, one bathroom, and two bedrooms. Rosario used some money she had on hand to buy cleansers, brooms, and other cleaning supplies. Tony helped her clean their new apartment and it started to look like a decent home.

Over the next few weeks Tony adjusted to life in the West Side. He and his mother had electricity and running water 24/7 as long as they paid the bills. When Rosario and Tony were invited next door so that their neighbors could welcome them, Tony discovered the joy of cartoons on their television set. Rosario said she planned to get one once she had enough money saved. There were also plenty of gangs in this city: the Bloods, the Crips, the Latin Kings, the Spanish Cobras, the Popes, and many more. Tony was used to sleeping to the sounds of gunshots so the gangs' irrational violence didn't keep him awake during the night. Since Tony was mute he spent most of his time listening and observing. This neighborhood was home to plenty of Hispanics/Latinos but there were other neighborhoods with black, white, and Asian residents. Brazil had a multicultural society since many of its residents were of African, Asian, European, Amerindian, and Pardo (multiracial) descent. It seemed like the USA had a multicultural society as well.

Tony would carry around his shoeshine kit and shine people's shoes to make money. But sometimes Tony would take out his saxophone and play it out on the street. People stopped and listened. They even gave him money! However, Tony's inability to talk isolated him from other children as they had no idea how to play with Tony without being able to talk to him. Once again Tony was left alone. But he found himself longing for a friend. Someone who wouldn't be scared off by his muteness. Since Tony couldn't talk he would be willing to listen to anything someone had to say.

Rosario had gotten a job at a food processing plant. She got there everyday by carpooling with three other ladies who worked at the plant. The hours were still long but the working conditions and pay were better. Rosario had informed Tony that he would be able to attend school in September. Rosario explained, "You'll be put in a special needs class. It doesn't mean you're dumb. It just means that you need to learn special skills in order to communicate. They have special teachers who help kids who are blind, deaf, or have other disabilities." That was the first time Tony's mom had called his muteness a disability. It made him a little uncomfortable being thought of as disabled. Would people always treat him differently because of his muteness?

One day in early September Rosario left for work as usual. Tony was left home alone and was given a latchkey so that he could lock that apartment after he left and get back in at the end of the day. Plenty of kids in his building had latchkeys and Tony felt he had been inducted into a special club. Tony got back home in the afternoon but his mom still wasn't home. At dinnertime she still wasn't there. At his bedtime she still wasn't there. In the middle of the night someone knocked on the door. Tony couldn't ask who it was so he waited and hoped that they would either leave or identify themselves.

When the door knocked again Tony heard, "Tony, it's your neighbor. The Chicago police are here and they need to tell you something."

Tony let them in and one police officer said, "My name is Officer Starkey. Your mom is dead. She was carpooling with her friends when a van slammed into the side of the passenger side of the car. Your mom and another woman named Sally were killed instantly. The driver, Katie, and the other passenger, Lucy, suffered some broken bones."

Soon Tony started crying and knew that even if he could talk no words would be able to describe the pain he was feeling.


	4. Chapter 4

The police helped Tony pack his few belongings and then they drove him to another section of Chicago called the South Side. Tony thought it looked just like the West Side only that there was more graffiti and a lot of small houses. The police car drove through the fence of a huge house and parked in the driveway. Officer Starkey knocked on the door and a large black woman in her nightgown opened the door.

"This Tony?" asked the black woman.

Officer Starkey replied, "Yes, Big Mama, this is the Brazilian boy I told you about on the phone. He claims he has no other relatives so I knew that you would be happy to take him in."

Big Mama said, "Well, welcome to The Unconditional Orphanage, Tony. I'll situate you upstairs."

Big Mama led Tony upstairs to one of the boys' rooms. All the beds had boys sleeping in them and Big Mama turned on a bedside lamp and told Tony, "You can sleep in this empty bed." Tony laid down on it and went to sleep.

The next morning Tony woke up and almost forgot where he was. He saw the other boys and then remembered where he was. Most of the other boys were still sleeping. Tony went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, took a bath, and then changed into some clean clothes. He went downstairs to see if breakfast was ready. He stepped into the kitchen and saw two women mixing bowls and sorting fruit. The white woman said, "Hello, dear. What's your name?"

Tony found a piece of paper and a pencil and then wrote out his name, "Tony Garcia."

Alicia replied, "Pleased to meet you, Tony. I'm Kim Norris and my friend here is Alicia Anderson. Are you hungry?"

Tony nodded yes and Alicia said, "Well hold on to your stomach because we're having fruit pancakes with plenty of maple syrup." Tony waited for them to fry a few pancakes and then was allowed to enjoy his breakfast.

Alicia asked, "Well, how are they?"

Tony gave her a thumbs up and Kim smiled while she said, "The secret ingredient is love." Alicia just rolled her eyes.

Soon the other kids came down for breakfast and were introduced to Tony. He also met two other adults who lived in the orphanage, a black man named Nick Cannon and a Hispanic man named Ricky Rodriguez. After breakfast the kids went outside to play and Tony went upstairs to get his saxophone. He took it out onto the streets of the South Side and started to play some samba tunes. Soon all sorts of people were listening to him and dropping money at his feet.

When he was done playing a kid who lived at the orphanage came up to him and exclaimed, "You got some mad skills, Tony! I'm Tevin Campbell in case you don't know and I'm offering you a chance to be a part of a totally cool rock band. It's made up of me and some other kids who live at the orphanage. Are you interested?"

Tony nodded yes and Tevin put an arm around Tony's shoulder. Tevin said, "If we practice hard enough the band might make it big and we can kiss the South Side good-bye." A smile started to grow on Tony's lips.


End file.
